Wall-board package



July 15, 1930. G. E. GRIFFITH 1,770,516

' WALL BOARD memes Original Filed Sept. 22, 1921 GeorgeIdLl/dfd "W "%f 7 Patented July 15, 1930 hem-an sraras fwasis .PATEN-T men GEORGE EDWARD GRIFFITH, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, ABSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO CERTAIN-WEED PRODUCTS CORPORATION WALL BOARD PACKAGE Application filed September 22, 1921, Serial No. 502,478. Renewed February 16, 1929.

This invention relates to packaging materials of sheet orplate form, which must be put up in flat piles rather than in rolls.

Among other objects, the invention is intended to provide a reliable package, of light and economical type, for the safe handling and transportation of fiat building materials such, for instance, as fibre wall board. This material, on account of its limpness and susceptibility to breakage and mutilation, requires careful protection in shipment, particularly for export trade; While at the same time the marketable value of such material imposes a low limit of permissible packaging and freight costs for absorption in the sales price at destination.

It has been customary to ship wallboard in wooden cratesbut the practice of crating has proven costly, both on account of the expense of crating materials and added freight costs, since it has been found necessary to employ strong heavy lumber for crates of practicable capacity in order to carry the contents safely to destination, Moreover crates unless excessively heavy haveproven unsatisfactory and inefiicient as carriers and have resulted 1n considerable losses fromdamaged con-' tents. The present invention therefore aims to dispense with the objectional practice of crating, and to provide alight type package which will reduce packing and carriage costs while assuring safe carriage of the contents.

An illustrative package embodying the invention is shown in the accompany drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the-package in an incomplete stage of production, i. e. before application of the outside wrapper and external bindings.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of a fragment of a side of the package as represented in Fig. 1.-

Fig. 3 is a cross section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2. l

. Fig. 4' is a perspective view of one of the package corners before application of the binder shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the completed package, with its outside wrapper and external bindings which are additional to the bindings shown in Fig. 1;--

crosswise buckling by the action of the binders. The binders holdthesuperposed layers of material together at the ends and intermediate points, so that the pile, even' though more or less limp, ma be handled as 1 a unit without likelihood o falling apart.

The binders also coo crate with the hereinafter mentioned rein orcingmembers to stiffen and brace the pile of panels as a whole.

The binders 11 may consistpf flexible steel straps or flat bands drawn more or less taut around the pile and having their ends overlapped and securely united by seal fasteners 12.- The type of seal fastener shown is formed by enclosing the overlapped strap ends in a sheet metal sleeve and marginally deforming or crimping the sleeve and enclosed strap ends to form interlocking shoulders, which will effectually resist separation. Tools for tensioning the straps orbands and sealing their overlapped ends with fasteners of the character described, are well known in the boxstrapplng art. The use of flat metal straps or bands as binding means is advantageous for eificiently holding the superposed layers of flat material together, as well as to avoid undue cutting action of tensioned'binders'.

Bound with the panels by the encircling bands or binders is material applied around the margins of the pile for reinforcing and stifiening'the same and for protecting the edges and corners ofthe panels from injury v ,by breakage pr denting. As shown in the drawings, the sides and ends of the-pile are encased all around with reinforcing and protecting material forming side covers 13 and end covers 14. These cover members 13 and 14 may be formed of a single strip or may consist of a plurality of strips of tough stiff material,

for instance, vulcanized fibre, W0

.. wide enough to cover the sides and ends of the rem

material, interposed between the encircling binders 11 andtheside covers 13; that is to say, the protectors 15 embrace the side covers 13 and are bound in place by the binders. Thus the additional protecting material under the binders rotects the of the panels and the si e mar of t e exposed top and bottom panels injury by any biting tendency of the binders.

' 1 handli The protectors 15 overlap the top and bottom of the ile far enough to provide bearings or seats or the binder -fastenings 12,. in order to protect the surfaces of the top and bottom panels from scarring or indentation by said astenings when a number of the illustrative packages are stacked or piled one-upon another.

At the corners of the pile are corner protectors 16, which may consist of strips of vulcanized fibre or other suitable material bent to angular'shape and flanged to embrace the corners of the pile over the adjacent, folded or overlapped ends of the side and end covers 13 and 14, as shown more clearly in Fig. 4. These corner ,protectors 16, which are bound in filaceby the-bands or binders around the en of the pile, contribute to'retai'n the end covers 14 in place. In addition. to rotecting the corner edges of the panels 111 indenting action of the binders, the serve to stifien and reinforce the corners o the pack age and to protect the contents againstinjury in the event of the corners durin shipment or storage.

e rein orcing and protecting devices above referred to providea sort of stifl'ening frame around the ile of wallboard panels, cooperatin with t e binders or hands 11 to maintain t e form and integrity of the ackage, besides effectually reinforcing an Ypro the corners and edges of the pile. The side and end covers 13 and 14 and corner fittings 16 embracing their adjacent, B

folded or overlappedends also serve to protect against entrance of dust or moisture be-.

tween the superposed panels or layers of material.

" To prevent displacementof the bindersor bands 11 relative to the side and corner protectors 15 and 16, the saidelemeit s15 and 16 are formed'or providedewith keepers 17,

cm indentation or which if desired, maylbe formed as stra or loo keepers cut from the material of 0 said e ements. The binders or bands 11 are passed throu h such keepers, thus insuring at all times t e maintenance of the protectsides and marginal surfaces of the pile of wall board panels. As the side protectors '15 and corner fittings 16 are drawn firmly over the material of the side and end covers 18 and 14 by the binders, there will be suflicient frictions engagement between the parts to restrain the protectors 15 and 16 from slippage or lateral displacement, thus contributmg to prevent lateral displacement or disah 'ent of the binders or bands 11.

or further insuring the remrvation of elements between the binders and the the form and integrity of t e package, by.

preventing any accidental 'dislod ment of the corner protectors 16 and the bands around the ends of the pile these, elements are further held in place y holders 18, which may consist ofstnps of strong ad 'hesive:tape folded over the ends of the pile and adhesively uniting the corner protectors Mind the top and bottom panels of the pile.

Fig. 1 of'the drawings re resents t structure as thus far described which possesses desirable characteristics as a package for use in handling merchandise of'the c as mentioned; but for further'protection and security the metal bound pile of wallboards encased in an outside wrapper or envelope and, rovided with additional bindmeans as own in -Fig. 5.

ferring to Fig. 5, the outside wrapper or envelope 20 may consist of tough water-proof paper or fabric, for instance, water-proof cross cord line paper. The wrapper may be conveniently ap lied by folding its'longitudinal edges over the sides and upon the top of the package, and seali the same, with 10 tudmal strips 21- of ad esive tapeywhile e transverse meeting ed the center of the pac age may likewise covered and sealed with a transverse sealing nders, or

itselff of the wrapper at strip of adhesive sealing tape 22. a After application of the wrapper, additional metal binders 'or bands 23 may be tensioned around the package and fastened in the same manner as the bands 11; the bands 23 being arranged at positions altering with the inside bands 11.

Among other advantages, a packageof the character described may be subjected to the ordinary rough handling incident to trans-.

rtation andstorage without undue danger of dislocation of the elements or injuryof the' contents. The; arrangement andiomo ion of the binders, boundmaterial, andlinside pros.

- devices will'ten'dito maintain the pile of flatelements in shape, and. di agonal and .distortive strains on the pee more efiectua'lly than wooden boxing; w e

nt time peshsms ployed are much lighter and cheaper than boxing. 1 The Water-proof wrapper is a further desirable feature, particularly incase of export shipments of materials which require protection against moist salt air. F urthermore, the wrapper prevents deterioration of the Contents during long periods of storage.

Obviously, the present invention is ,not limited to the precise details of construction,

mode of operation and arrangement shown and described, since the same may be variously modified appropriately to'the dimensions, weight and characteristics of the units of material to be packaged. Moreover, it is not inconnections between the end covers and top and lower panels of the ile.

In testimony whereo I have signed my name to this s ecification.

GEOR E EDWARD GRIFFITH.

dispensable that all of the features of the invention be used conjointy as they may be used to advantage in various combinations and subcombinations.

I claim:

1. A package of the class described comprising, in combination, a pile of rectangular sections of material; separate cover members of reinforcing and protecting material encasing the side and end margins of said pile; parallel metal bindings around the pile; corner protectors encasing the corners of the pile and bound thereto by the end bindings;

and strips of adhesive tape straddling the end cover members and end bindings and adhesively urited to the top and bottom of the pile; a wrapper encasing the metal-bound pile; and additional metal bindings applied outside of the wrapper and alternating with the first mentioned bindings.

comprising in combination, a pile of superposed, individually flexible panels of mate rial aggregating a thickness sufiicient to resist transverse buckling, relatively rigid metal edge bindings each embracing an' edge of the package, and binding means around the package and adhered thereto to hold the edge bindings firmly in place, whereby relative shifting and sliding of individual panels is resisted and the rigidity of the package increased.

3. A package of the class described c0m prising, in combination, a pile of panels which are individually flexible; a plurality of bindcorner protectors overlapping the .side and' end covers for protecting the corners of the package; binders around the endsof the pile.

engaging said'corner protectors; andadhesive 2. A package of the character described 

